In a digital landscape overcrowded with recycled visuals, BI sets out to show global stories from a different angle. This entry showcases three short-form videos that use satellite imagery to show news events unfolding in real time, in places traditional journalists often can’t reach.
In one video, we break down the world’s largest construction project in Saudi Arabia called “The Line,” a planned futuristic megacity. Using satellite analysis is more important than ever here in a place where journalists cannot report freely. The video reached over 1.2 million views and stood out for its ability to compare visionary government PR with on-the-ground (and overhead) facts.
Another video uncovers China’s sprawling “military city,” 10 times larger than the Pentagon. Here, we use satellite imagery to highlight the city’s rapid construction and strategic layout, raising global questions about military buildup and future conflict. The piece brought urgency and clarity to a development that had largely gone unnoticed by the public.
In our final video, we captured the California wildfires as they raged, revealing the sheer scale of destruction not just through headlines, but from above. The video amassed over 5.3 million views and gave audiences a clear, sobering look at what the climate crisis looks like on the ground and in the sky.
Together, these stories show how reporting on satellite imagery can take complex geopolitical issues and climate disasters to provide context, scale, and insight no ground camera can.
These 90-second, visually gripping explainers are published on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.
